I was in a similar position recently so I think your neighbour thought, if I do it once I will be asked to do it again and again, so it’s best if I don’t start anything. My kids have all now left the nest and I can finally enjoy the freedom that comes after years of parenting, so the last thing I wanted was to step into childminding for a friend of mine with a 2 year old. Whilst I love my friends company and am happy if her child is with us on catch-ups, I am super busy and have heaps of things I like to do in my rare spare time and baby sitting is definitely not one of them.